Last year we had a guest at Common Ground from The New York Times who wrote of her experience at the Fair, "This felt like what has gone missing from America." At that particular moment she was commenting on the accordions and washboard of the Maine Squeeze momentarily drowning out John Bunker as he was holding court and identifying apples brought to him by fairgoers. But the writer's observation captures a lot about the Common Ground Country Fair.

The beauty of farming and food as a catalyst for celebration is that food is the intersection for innumerable facets of our lives – our health and nutrition, our family culture, the biodiversity and health of the environment, the resilience and integrity of our economy, and even, as it turns out, accordions and apples. Let go of an awareness of our food – its origins and stories en route to our tables – and so much goes missing: appreciation, gratitude, culture, discovery, celebration.

I like to think this awareness is in part why the Common Ground Country Fair is so vibrant. The exhibitors, presenters and fairgoers of Common Ground share a community of awareness around our farms and food. And from that connection springs this great celebration of Maine and organic.

Nourished by Maine's organic farmers and gardeners – particularly the 430-plus MOFGA certified organic farmers and food producers who have made a commitment to transparency in organic production – we have much to celebrate at Common Ground and year-round in Maine.

I hope you have a great time at the Fair. But more so, I hope it in some way affirms what you haven't let go missing.

The Common Ground Country Fair is an extraordinary production of volunteer initiative and leadership. Guiding this endeavor is the Fair Steering Committee, an inspiring group of dedicated people who meet monthly – in winter when it snows, in spring when gardens demand attention, in summer when lazy days whisper distraction – and look at the big picture for the Fair and MOFGA, balancing many influences to keep the Fair true to its mission. This dedicated group deserves special acknowledgment. A humble thank-you from the Fair director and MOFGA staff for your thoughtful and tireless contributions: John Belding, Mary Belding, Eli Berry, Laurah Brown, Sam Brown, Vicky Burwell, Jeff Cotton, Patti Dowse, Anu Dudley, Rob Jones, Amy LeBlanc, Bryan McLellan, Penelope Olson, Ashley Richards, Nancy Rosalie, Rose Whitehead and Bill Whitman.

Nearly every facet of the Fair is envisioned, designed, implemented and managed by volunteers. Working in small teams or as individuals, the Fair's area coordinators comprise the Planning Team – the individuals who bring Common Ground to life. With gratitude we thank these industrious and generous leaders.

Sandor Ellix Katz is a self-taught fermentation experimentalist. He wrote Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition and Craft of Live-Culture Food, which Newsweek called "the fermenting bible,” in order to share the fermentation wisdom he had learned and demystify home fermentation. Since the book's publication in 2003, Katz has taught hundreds of fermentation workshops across North America and beyond, taking on a role he now describes as a "fermentation revivalist." In his follow-up book, The Art of Fermentation, Katz crafts from his experience the countless stories about fermentation practices he's heard over the years and the answers to thousands of troubleshooting questions, a more in-depth exploration of fermentation.

A native of New York City, graduate of Brown University and retired policy wonk, Katz now lives in Cannon County, Tennessee. He has been living with AIDS since the 1980s and he considers fermented foods to be an important part of his healing and continued health. Most recently, Katz was featured in Michael Pollan's latest book, Cooked, in which Pollan apprentices himself to "several mad-genius 'fermentos'," including Katz, who "reveal how fungi and bacteria can perform the most amazing alchemy of all."

Deb Soule is an herbalist, gardener, teacher and author of The Woman's Handbook of Healing Herbs and her new book, How to Move Like a Gardener: Planting and Preparing Medicines From Plants. Raised in a small town in western Maine, Soule began organic gardening and studying medicinal uses of herbs at age 16 alongside the internationally known medical herbalist Mary Bove. Soule's faith in the healing qualities of plants includes a desire to make organic herbs easily accessible to women and families living in rural areas.

As Soule's knowledge and faith in the efficacy of medicinal herbs grew, so did her desire to serve her community. In a small 8-by-10-foot room in her house, Soule began preparing herbal remedies. In the fall of 1985, with her first mail-order catalog and a small selection of herbal extracts and teas, Soule launched Avena Botanicals (www.avenabotanicals.com) at the Common Ground Country Fair in Windsor, Maine.

Soule's passion for plants, gardens and healing and her commitment to sharing herbal knowledge with others is central to her work. She frequently guest-lectures at conferences and teaches botany and horticulture students, garden clubs and medical students. In 2005, People, Places and Plants magazine named Soule as one of the 50 most influential gardeners in the Northeast.

Soule's life closely follows the yearly agricultural rhythm. From April through October she spends most days with her hands in the earth, tending 3 acres of medicinal plants using organic and biodynamic practices. During the spring and summer, she teaches herb classes and offers bi-monthly herb walks in Avena Botanicals’ herb gardens. Throughout the year she writes herb articles, develops herbal remedies and consults with clients and health care providers.

Organic Valley CEIEIO George Siemon taps into his 25 years of hard knocks and lessons learned to talk about the benefits of cooperatives and the risks of investor ownership. He sees the future as a cooperative venture between people, earth and a healthier future.

One of the nation's foremost organic agriculture advocates for nearly two decades, George Siemon is best known for his leadership in organizing farmers and building market support for organic agriculture. His work champions an agriculture that supports family farms with a fair and stable pay price, humane treatment of farm animals, healthy soil and environment and quality organic food.

In 1988, Siemon joined a group of family farmers in Wisconsin to found the Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools (CROPP). More commonly known by its brands Organic Valley and Organic Prairie, CROPP has grown to become the largest organic farming cooperative in North America while remaining true to its local roots. The cooperative focuses on regional production and distribution, contracting with local production plants rather than building its own, thus investing in local communities and farmers instead of “brick and mortar.” Organic Valley producers promote sustainability by farming without antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides. Their livestock herds feed on pasture, preserving landscapes and biodiversity for future generations.

As a part of Organic Valley or in his own time, Siemon has greatly influenced the organic industry for the past two decades. Most notably, he was instrumental in developing the national standards for organic certification. He also initiated Farmers Advocating for Organics, the largest (and only) U.S. organic-focused granting fund, which is funded entirely by Organic Valley farmer-owners; advised the USDA as part of the Livestock Standards Board; and currently participates on the boards of directors for The Organic Center and Global Animal Partnership.

In 2013, Siemon was inducted into the Hall of Legends by New Hope Natural Media, organizers of the Natural Product Expos. In 2012, he was awarded the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Growing Green Award in the “Business Leader” category and the Social Venture Network’s Hall of Fame Impact Award in the “Environmental Evangelist” category.